Denver will allow restaurants and gyms to operate at full capacity — with social-distancing requirements — beginning Friday when the state turns over control of COVID-19 public health measures to local authorities.
The county will move a step down to Level Blue on the state’s color-coded dial for the next 30 days in conjunction with most other metro counties, including Jefferson, Adams, Boulder and Broomfield. Arapahoe County already was at Level Blue and Douglas County is eliminating all COVID-19 restrictions come Friday.
“We think that we need to slow down a little bit with just dismissing the dial altogether,” said Bob McDonald, executive director of the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment, during a briefing Wednesday. “We’re going to move to the blue phase, see how the virus responds, see what the data looks like.”
Denver also will no longer require masks to be worn in outdoor settings, although they still must be worn in indoor settings and when people are using public transportation. The changes to the mask order go into effect Wednesday and will expire in 30 days.
The move by Denver and other metro counties to lower restrictions will happen when the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment turns over control of most COVID-19 measures to local officials Friday by making the restrictions set by the state’s color-coded dial recommendations, not mandates.
The changes come despite the fact that coronavirus infections and hospitalizations are increasing in Colorado, which state officials have said is now experiencing a “fourth wave” of the virus. And it will create a hodgepodge of COVID-19 restrictions as some counties continue to follow the state’s dial framework and others stop.
For example, Douglas County commissioners voted this week to lift all restrictions on Friday and not follow the new health orders issued by Tri-County Health Department. Still, the county will have to follow the statewide mask mandate, Denver 7 reported.
“The state’s decision means that a number of Colorado counties and local jurisdictions will not maintain restrictions,” Mayor Michael Hancock said during the briefing. “There’s nothing that we can do about that, but we will be taking a different approach in Denver.”
The dial often has been a point of contention between local and state leaders during the pandemic, with public health officials in the metro area often pushed the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to move their counties together when changing COVID-19 restrictions so that policies didn’t vary by county.
While the state is allowing counties to lift restrictions, public health officials encourage Coloradans to keep wearing masks, physically distancing and avoiding large gatherings until more people are vaccinated against the coronavirus.
The changes for counties moving to Level Blue include:
- Restaurants and gyms can open at 100% capacity if parties can be separated by at least 6 feet
- Last call for alcohol moves from 1 a.m. to 2 a.m.
- Non-critical manufacturing and offices can open at 75% capacity
- Bars, which previously had to serve food to be able to operate, can reopen at 25% capacity
- Retail locations can operate at 75% capacity
Denver will deviate from the state’s dial when it comes to outdoor events.
The county will require a mitigation plan to be submitted before an outdoor event with fewer than 5,000 people can take place. If organizers want to host an event with more than 5,000 people, they will have to consult with the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment.
The metro area counties moving to Level Blue will stay there for 30 days. Then, from May 16 through Aug. 15, the counties will move to a new phase called Level Clear.
Level Clear will lift all restrictions, although masks will still have to be worn if there is a local or state mandate. If a county experiences a rise in its rate of coronavirus hospital admissions, it will move to stricter restrictions, according to Tri-County’s public health order.